“With much discipline comes much learning,” said Rich Luppino, one of the most highly respected professional, local youth baseball and softball instructors who has been teaching young players while promoting discipline on and off the field for the past 15 years.

Local youth baseball and softball players willing to brave the heat to accept Lupppino’s discipline oriented approachwere not disappointed.

Close to 150 children signed up for the camp, known as Rich Luppino’s United Sports Academy, held at the Bloomingdale Youth Sports Association (BYSA) facility, formerly the Bloomingdale Little League, now a Babe Ruth / Cal Ripken League.

“The camp serves as a fundraiser for the league, and by far this is the most kids we have ever had for the summer camp,” Luppino said, adding that the turnout is a fine testimony to both the players’ willingness to learn as well as to the success of the camp.

While calling Bloomingdale his home for the past three and a half years, Luppino, or Coach Rich as he has come to be called, has been establishing his name all over Florida teaching the fundamentals of the sport as well as grooming players to be fit physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

For more information, Luppino can be reached at richluppinousa @yahoo.com.

Each year since 2004 skateboarders around the globe come together on June 21 and celebrate what is considered one of the most influential outdoor activities. The event seeks to encourage area residents to abandon televisions, video games and computers and put their skateboards to play.

Celebrated at the 11,000 sq.-ft. Brandon Skate Park located at 5720 Providence Rd., the event drew hundreds of attendees.

The Brandon Skate Park is an obstacle street and bowl park that opened to the public in 2012. Complete skate park rules and waiver form available online at www.Hillsborough County.org/ Brandonskate.

BSAC Draws Hundreds forWorld’s Largest Swim Lesson

With more than 200 kids in attendance, the Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center (BSAC) tookpart in the largest simultaneous swim lesson last month.

The center joined tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world uniting all for the fifth year in a row to set a new Guinness World Record for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL).

“We had a fantastic turn out that led to an outstanding event promoting the participation in learning to swim and ultimately saving lives,” said BSAC Director of Marketing and Brand Development Lori Bukaweski.

The current Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson stands at 32,450 participants representing 13 different countries across five continents. Participating aquatic faculties are now in the process of submitting their attendance figures for final count.

To learn more about WLSL, visiting WLSL.org, or call BSAC at 689-0908.